Ms Masako Suzuki is leader of the Northern Limit Dugong Research Team Zan.
Ms Masako Suzuki is 66 years old, and originally from Yokohama.

Dugongs were found in Okinawa in 2007 or 2008, in the place the US military base would be relocated in Oura Bay. Until then, Japanese dugongs were thought to be extinct throughout Japan. She thought the dugong would be immediately protected, but the Ministry of the Environment did not implement environmental protection measures. She was outraged and raised the issue with the Ministry of the Environment and other NGOs but was told that "ordinary middle-aged women like you should not be involved in these issues".

Zan means dugong in Okinawan dialect. In 1999, she built a network ‘Watching Club of Northern Limit Dugong’ with researchers, students and citizens. In 2000, the group held the first symposium about wild dugongs in Kyoto, Tokyo and Okinawa. She connected two local small dugong protection groups with Dr. Helene March, the world famous researcher on dugong protection.

People ate dugong meat in the past. After the WW ll, Okinawa suffered severe food shortage and many dugongs were lost due to dynamite fishing and by-catch. Now, dugongs can only live in the northern part of the Okinawa island.
She wants to see the dugong protected fully.